"Haha, Ming Ze, now it's time to truly transform your restaurant into a tea house.With the merit coins you've already earned, you should have enough resources to sustain yourself for some time.But you must search for a few junior disciples from the sect,disciples who can learn from you how to make lower quality spiritual tea and normal tea.That way, you'll have more time to cultivate and can focus on making only high quality spiritual tea for inner sect disciples and the wealthier outer disciples.After all, you want to reach the Blood Purification Stage, don't you?Coming from a noble clan under a great empire, you should already know that the Blood Purification Stage is also known as the First Wall of Cultivation.If you can't break through before the age of 15 or at the latest, 17…Then don't even dream of reaching the Meridian Awakening Stage.Keep my words in your heart, Ming Ze.Understand the true reason why you must reach the Blood Purification Stage as fast as possible."
Yuan's words were spoken calmly, yet his tone carried a grave seriousness, making it clear that he meant every word.
After all, if Ming Ze failed to reach even the Meridian Awakening Stage, then in 100 years, he would become nothing but a useless pawn.
With his potential to become a Master or even a Grandmaster Alchemist, losing him would be a huge waste.
That was why Yuan would do everything in his power to help Ming Ze rise within the sectto make him believe that Yuan was his true mentor, his guiding teacher…
So that betrayal would never even cross his mind.
At least, that was what Yuan hoped.
But in the cruel world of cultivation, trust was as fragile as a knotted rope.
At first, it may be tight and unbreakable like stone…
But over time, the knot loosens.
And eventually…
All it takes is a single gust of wind for it to snap,breaking the trust forever.
But for the current Ming Ze, Yuan's words held great importance.
They earned Yuan a place in Ming Ze's heart.
And so, he simply nodded slowly, acknowledging Yuan's advice.
Yuan noticed the nod and responded with a lighthearted smile.
"So, with the tea house," Yuan began, his voice calm yet firm, "you are already an excellent restaurant owner. You understand this business far better than I do.After all, I can only support you from the shadows with a few merit coins.But if you ever need advice, we should establish a system of secret signals and coded messages.That way, we can exchange information without anyone else understanding us.So now, I will write in your notice book,an entire coded language and a few methods for you to inform me discreetly."
With that, Yuan asked Ming Ze for a pen.
Ming Ze quickly walked to the kitchen, rummaged around for a moment, and soon returned with a pen in hand, presenting it to Yuan.
Yuan took the pen and began writing carefully in the notice book.
He detailed ten secret methods for Ming Ze to send information discreetly, ensuring that only the two of them would understand the coded messages.
Additionally, Yuan wrote down an entire secret language, a system of symbols and phrases that would allow them to communicate in a way no one else could decipher.
Thanks to the memories of the Basilisk, Yuan had knowledge of various coded languages and information-gathering techniques, making it easy to create a system that was both efficient and undetectable.
By the time he finished, the notice book was nearly full, packed with everything from Ming Ze's gathered rumors to Yuan's newly devised secret communication methods.
Ming Ze's thirty-minute break was coming to an end.
It was already time to open the restaurant, but he had delayed it by another thirty minutes, making him an entire hour late.
Between writing in the notice book and discussing the gathered information, time had slipped away unnoticed.
With his tea already finished, Yuan stood up, preparing to leave.
Before stepping away, he spoke a few final words to Ming Ze:
"I'll be taking on another sect mission in the coming months. During that time, you won't be able to contact me in any way. For now, just focus on forming loyal subordinates for your future tea house. In the end, it will become more than just a business,it will serve as a hub for gathering information."
With that, Yuan turned and left.
As Yuan left, Ming Ze could only stare at the spot where his figure had vanished.
He hadn't even seen how Yuan disappeared,his speed was simply too fast for him to follow.
For a moment, he just stood there, his eyes lingering on the empty space.
Then, he closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh.
A few moments later, he opened them again, a new ambitious glint shining within.
A small smile crept onto his face as he turned toward his restaurant.
Without hesitation, he pushed open the doors, stepping inside.
Before doing anything else, he grabbed a sheet of paper, scrawled a short message onto it, and pinned it beside the wooden entrance.
[Seeking Alchemist for Work]
Yet, Yuan neither saw this nor cared.
He had already expected Ming Ze to take action on his own.
As long as it served its purpose, that was all that mattered.
By now, Yuan had already arrived before the Mission Hall.
His sharp gaze swept across the large mission board, searching for a suitable task.
He was particularly looking for missions involving monster hunting or similar challenges.
After all, he needed more merit coins now than ever.
Supporting Ming Ze's tea house while funding his own cultivation would only become more expensive from here on out.
And for that…
He needed to start earning merit coins.
Finding missions that rewarded a hundred merit coins or more was ideal, but he wasn't the only one searching for them.
Still, Yuan somehow managed to secure a mission worth a few hundred merit coins.
The mission itself was fairly straightforward.
He tracked down several demonic beasts, killed them, and then sold their remains to the Mission Hall.
The corpses of demonic beasts belonged to the one who slew them, meaning the sect couldn't force him to hand them over.
However, since Yuan was once again short on merit coins, he chose to sell the valuable parts their ears, teeth, pelts, and certain organs,to the Mission Hall.
Yet, there was one thing he refused to sell.
Something he needed more and more of.
And the more he gathered, the better it would be.
But Yuan didn't just hunt Blood Purification Stage demonic beasts,no, he killed everything below the Bone Forging Stage.
Many Meridian Awakening Stage demonic beasts fell prey to him.
However, he couldn't sell the organs, bones, or pelts of these stronger demonic beasts to the sect.
If he did, he would attract suspicion.
Rumors would spread, and before long, he would gain unwanted attention from the inner sect disciples.
So instead, he found a few loose cultivators willing to trade.
Exchanging the organs, pelts, and teeth of his kills, Yuan received spiritual herbs and pills in return.These resources are far more valuable for his cultivation.
But despite the benefits, Yuan was always careful when dealing with loose cultivators.
They were unpredictable, dangerous, and free from any responsibilities.
At any moment, they could attempt to rob him, and if he was weaker than them, he would have only two choices.
Run or submit.
If they wanted to kill him, escape would be his only option.
But that posed another problem.
If he fled, he would have no choice but to return to the sect.
And if he failed to complete his mission within the given time without a proper explanation…
He would face punishment or worse, expulsion.
And simply saying, "I was attacked by loose cultivators," wouldn't be an acceptable excuse.
The sect's response would be simple.
"Then why did you provoke them?"
Unless he was an important inner disciple, no one in the sect would care about his situation.
Dealing with loose cultivators was always a gamble.
During an exchange with an loose cultivator, Yuan offered one him an complete Meridian Awakening Stage demonic beast corpse.
But instead of a fair trade, the loose cultivator tried to rob and kill him.
Unfortunately for him…
Yuan wasn't an easy target.
With little effort, he killed the loose cultivator, proving that a mere Meridian Awakening Stage opponent was no real threat to him.
After the fight, Yuan searched through the dead cultivator's bag of holding.
And what he found…
Surprised him.
There were quite a few good things inside,resources that could accelerate his cultivation:
A few pills that could enhance his training and a few drops of Poison Mist Liquid,which is quite rare.
This made Yuan realize something.
Loose cultivators, despite their loose and unpredictable nature…
Always seemed to carry valuable items.
At that moment, a new idea took root in Yuan's mind.
Why waste time selling demonic beast corpses for merit coins?
Why bother negotiating with other cultivators for resources?
When he could simply take what he needed?
If loose cultivators were willing to rob and kill him…
Then he would do the same to them.
From now on…
He would hunt them down and rob them and claim their resources as his own.
With this method, he could accelerate his cultivation speed far beyond what he had originally planned.
A cold glint flickered in Yuan's eyes.
He had just found a new way to rise faster than he thought.
And so, months passed.
In several regions surrounding the Howling Wind Sect, a rumor began to spread.
A story about a bandit… or perhaps a killer.
A mysterious hunter who targeted loose cultivators, slaughtering both the famous and the infamous without hesitation.
No one knew his true identity, only that his blade showed no mercy.
Even the inner disciples of the Howling Wind Sect failed to catch him.
Time and time again, he would eliminate his prey… and then disappear without a trace.
And so, the disciples of the Howling Wind Sect gave him a name.
A title that spread like wildfire among the wandering cultivators.
The Hunter of the Ignored Cultivators.